Games: Started the infamous Deadly Premonition a few days ago. I'm still really early, probably somewhere in the five-hour ballpark, but I'm definitely far enough along to say that I think most of the critics who passed judgment on it really didn't get it.

I'm not going to go into too much detail at this point since there is still a lot to see and I definitely want to compare notes with people on a few things, but I will recommend that anyone with even a passing curiosity in the title read my fellow critic Dan Weissenberger’s epic take on it. Click HERE to read his opinion on the game, and know that I basically say ‘ditto’ to just about all of his conclusions.

I will absolutely be talking more about this game in the future, but for right now I do know that I am enjoying it a great deal, I find it quite utterly fascinating in several regards, and I would highly recommend anyone with an interest in alternative titles or unconventional game design pick up a copy immediately. At $20 brand-new, I daresay it will be a much better value for people interested in exploring the fringe than just about anything else on shelves this year.

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Games: While I don't usually use the blog as a straight-up PR tool, I'm going to bend that rule tonight for two reasons: the first is that I’m frickin’ tired and it's easier to cut and paste a link than it is to come up with effervescent material off the cuff. The second is that I'm actually genuinely excited for both of the following titles, and I've got a feeling that each one is going to need every bit of coverage they can possibly get.

Trailer A: Battle vs. Chess. I talked about this title in my PAX 2010 coverage, but in case you missed it, this game is basically classic chess at its core. However, there are a number of tweaks that make it much more interesting than the standard video chess game.

For example, there is a modes that lets players have pieces fight in real time to defend their squares. There's also a mode that sets the pieces up on the board randomly, and the campaign mode is made up of chess puzzles taken from real-life matches between expert players. I have a great affection for chess even though I completely suck at it, so the unique video game spin on this timeless formula is looking pretty damn irresistible to me right now.

Trailer B: Section 8: Prejudice. If you were one of the many players who missed out on Section 8 the first time, then you really missed out. Although it wasn't perfect, this first-person sci-fi shooter had some great ideas and was a hell of a lot of fun to play. The ability to employ a jet pack during combat opened up a lot of possibilities, and the multiplayer mode was fairly unique. Besides the standard "kill everybody who's not on your team" goal, there were several in-match mini-goals which players could pursue that didn't really have anything to do with directly opposing the other team. Things like capturing AI- generated VIPs, or taking care of timebombs which would appear randomly.

The feeling of being on a busy, active battlefield with tons of things going on at once was a great one, so I'm very curious to see what the developers will have to bring to the table in this recently-announced sequel. (Of course, that's beside the fact that I don't think anyone, myself included, actually expected a sequel.) Very, very interested in this one.

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Games: After going through the stuff I brought back from PAX, I realized I had enough to give away. Here's what's on hand:

Pack #1 – A D&D comic from IDW, a Dragon Age inflatable spear, and a 5-button set for Valkyria Chronicles 2.

Pack #2 - A Super Meat Boy comic, a Dragon Age inflatable spear, and a 5-button set for Valkyria Chronicles 2.

If you're interested in any of these packs, leave a comment, pick Pack 1, 2, or 3 and tell me what you think the best game of the year is that nobody’s been paying attention to. In other words, what's the best underrated game you’ve played so far in 2010? I will put the name of everybody who enters into a hat, pick a random winner and send this stuff out. If nobody enters, I guess I'll just throw it out…

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Writing: So, I've just been e-mailing with the co-author of the book I just finished, and at this particular point in time it seems like everything is completely done on our end. We're going to send it in to have it properly formatted and the publisher will be launching it online quite soon. At this particular second, I don't have any information on exactly which sites it will be available or what the pricing will be, but I will pass it along as soon as I know for sure. Stay tuned!

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Underrated is a tough one. I can immediately think of a few games that are overrated (Alan Wake, Crackdown 2, God of War 3, probably Halo Reach considering Halo games are considered godl no matter what!) but underrated?

I'd be tempted to say Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep but it's too early for me to have an accurate opinion. If it carries on at the quality it's showing now though, it'll be brilliant.

So I'll say Amnesia: The Dark Descent. It won't get the exposure it deserves as an indie PC game but it's downright scary! It might not be perfect but it's immensely satisfying to play.

I have no idea if this competition is open to UK based people but it was fun to answer anyhow :)

It's probably a borderline title for underrated, but Nier got some very mediocre review scores that I felt missed the entire point of the game.

It was a tremendously mature RPG from Caviar that had some chilling and moving emotional moments. It was full of homages and throwbacks to classic games, making Nier one of the most colourful and varied games I've ever played.

On that note I can't wait to try out Deadly Premonition when it finally comes to the UK later this year!

It was really hard to think of underrated games I've played and really enjoyed. To echo others I can think of tons of overrated games, but in any case...

I'm gonna go with Resonance of Fate (overlooked because of it's inaccessability) and Alpha Protocol. Also probably gonna say Nier as well as I was really surprised at how little attention it got in the end.

And if I win I'd like Pack 2 please :) But I realise I'm from the UK so if that makes it difficult I understand too!

Good question. I'll have to say that Nier is the game that I've yet to touch, but really feel like I should from all the talk I've heard. I don't want to treat it like many people did Alpha Protocol.

AP is easily the game that I've enjoyed the most this year that I feel like people didn't give a fair shake. Like with I've seen with Nier, I think people just didn't get it and took too much stock into raw scores from certain sites. While I can understand people not liking the game, I feel that some scored it way too harshly compared to what they wrote. I have no problem with someone not liking a game, but at least back up your score with your words instead of just butchering it via MetaCritic. Right?

Another game that I think lots of people have overlooked is the small indie RPG Breath of Death VII: The Beginning. This XBLIG 8-bit style RPG has a lot of fun concepts packed into a small, cheap package. I loved it and can't wait for Zeboyd's next game Cthulhu Saves the World.

PS: I'd love pack 3, but any will be fine. I just want to display my VC love.

Given that it came out really late last year, I'd be tempted to say "Phantasy Star Zero" for the DS.

If it's just this calendar year, then I'd say one of the most underrated games is "Protect Me Knight" on XBLIndie - it's a great 8bitish action/protection game where you choose one of four classes and protect a princess from all kinds of monsters. That it has 4 player co-op is just awesome, and music done by video game great Yuzo Koshiro. Here's a trailer.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTgGBimNHSM